UPDATE (Thursday, Jan. 1, 2:20 p.m.): The threat to target CNN and anchor Wolf Blitzer that the FBI believed to come from the same group that hacked Sony is apparently a hoax.
Hours after news of the FBI bulletin about the threat made headlines, journalist David Garrett (who writes about cybersecurity) came forward to said that he wrote the threat to CNN as a prank, copying an actual threat message but swapping some of the words (as reported by Business Insider).
At this point, it’s not known whether Garrett’s claim can be verified; the FBI has yet to comment.
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According to an FBI bulletin obtained by The Intercept, the people responsible for the disastrous Sony hack may be coming after CNN and anchor Wolf Blitzer next.
The bulletin, issued by FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, states that the Sony hackers (calling themselves Guardians of Peace) may next begin targeting news organizations, pointing to messages that had been posted Pastebin.com (where previous hacker threats were posted).
Closer examination reveals that a cryptic message was indeed posted on Pastebin.com on Dec. 20 that mentions CNN and its longtime anchor Wolf Blitzer by name:
“The result of investigation by CNN is so excellent that you might have seen what we were doing with your own eyes,”; reads the message. “We congratulate you success. CNN is the BEST in the world. You will find the gift for CNN at the following address.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiRacdl02w4
Enjoy!
P.S. You have 24 hours to give us the Wolf.”;
The link is to an animated YouTube video featuring numerous happy face icons and the repeated phrase, “You are an idiot.”;
It remains to be seen whether this message is legitimate. The FBI would neither confirm nor deny, with a spokesperson telling The Intercept: “Unfortunately, we are unable to provide specifics as our intel bulletins are not for public dissemination…”;
